CLASS 5A
Columbine (3-3) vs. No. 4 Arvada West (6-0)
When/where: 7 p.m. Thursday at NAAC Stadium
Last meeting: Columbine 35, vs. Arvada West 14, Oct. 11, 2024
Streaming: NFHS Network
Don’t look now, but Andy Lowry’s Rebels have turned a corner. The perennial 5A powers have won three straight to get back to .500, including a 48-9 drubbing of Denver East last week that was vintage Columbine (267 yards, five TDs on 28 carries). Arvada West has outscored its last two opponents by a combined score of 115-7, but the Wildcats are 1-7 against Columbine since 2018. That alone makes this a major hurdle.
No. 10 Regis Jesuit (3-3) vs. Fountain-Fort Carson (5-1)
When/where: 7 p.m. Thursday at Guy Barickman Stadium
Last meeting: Regis Jesuit 45, vs. Fountain-Fort Carson 7, Oct. 11, 2024
Regis Jesuit, another 5A power that got off to an 0-3 start, is on a three-game win streak of its own, with sophomore QB Luke Rubley (942 yards, nine TDs) showing why he already has multiple FBS scholarship offers. Now comes a date with an FFC defense that’s only allowed 23 points since losing to Arvada West in Week 0. Junior Da’kari Releford Jr. (956 yards, 14 TDs) is the latest star runner off head coach Jake Novotny’s RB assembly line. The winner here emerges as a 5A Southern League contender.
No. 1 Cherry Creek (6-0) vs. Arapahoe (3-3)
When/where: 7 p.m. Thursday at LPS Stadium
Last meeting: Cherry Creek 41, vs. Arapahoe 7, Oct. 10, 2024
Streaming: NFHS Network
If anyone is going to upset Cherry Creek in the 5A Centennial League, it may just be the Warriors. The Bruins have lost only two league games since 2019, and one of those came vs. Arapahoe in 2021. The Warriors just beat Grandview for the fourth straight season behind senior RB Jayden Tackitt’s 157-yard breakout performance and an efficient night from sophomore QB Theo Lee (110 yards on 13-of-19 passing). They’ll need that, and more, if they want to take Creek into the fourth quarter.
No. 7 Fairview (5-1) vs. Fort Collins (5-1)
When/where: 6:30 p.m. Friday at French Field
Last meeting: Fairview 68, vs. Fort Collins 49, Oct. 10, 2024
Streaming: NFHS Network
Last fall, these two produced one of the wildest games of the season: a 117-point, 1,263-yard blur that ended with Fairview on top. A year later, both teams bring high-powered offenses to French Field, with the same flame-throwing quarterbacks — Fort Collins’ Justin Cranford and Fairview’s Ki Ellison — slinging the rock. The Knights have won 16 straight league games and three straight league titles. If those streaks are going to come to an end this season, the Lambkins might be the team best equipped to do it.
CLASS 4A
No. 5 Durango (5-1) vs. No. 3 Palmer Ridge (6-0)
When/where: 6 p.m. Friday at Don Breese Stadium
Last meeting: Palmer Ridge 24, at Durango 21, Oct. 11, 2024
With six double-digit wins and a 277-43 scoring margin to open the season, Palmer Ridge has looked untouchable. There’s just one caveat: None of the Bears’ first six opponents currently has a winning record. That changes Friday when the red-hot Demons pay a visit. Durango has won five straight since a 35-14 loss to Montrose in Week 0, with its defense allowing just 19 total points over that streak. The Palmer Ridge offense — currently averaging 222.5 rushing yards per game — is a different animal altogether. Can the Demons hold up?
No. 1 Dakota Ridge (6-0) vs. No. 8 Heritage (4-2)
When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at LPS Stadium
Last meeting: Dakota Ridge 42, vs. Heritage 25, Oct. 10, 2024
Radio/streaming: 92.5 FM, NFHS Network
Dakota Ridge is stalking its third unbeaten regular season in six years. Now comes a gauntlet of 4A South Metro League teams with a combined record of 19-5, starting with the talented and explosive Heritage Eagles. Heritage just slapped 56 points on previously unbeaten Golden, with senior tailback Mo Thenell rumbling for 295 yards and five TDs. If he and Washington State commit Landon Kalsbeck ever collide, it’ll likely register on the nearest seismograph.
Golden (5-1) vs. Bear Creek (6-0)
When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at Jeffco Stadium
Last meeting: Golden 14, vs. Bear Creek 7, Oct. 11, 2024
Streaming: NFHS Network
Tom Thenell’s return to Bear Creek couldn’t be going better. Literally. The Bears rallied to beat Highlands Ranch last week to claim the program’s first 6-0 start in 20 years … when Thenell was also the coach. The combination of junior QB Riley Wilson (1,864 total yards, 19 TDs) and junior running back DT Thomas (935 total yards, 11 TDs) has yet to be stopped. But the climb only gets steeper from here in the rugged 4A South Metro League, starting with a Golden squad looking to rebound from its first loss of the season.
CLASS 3A
No. 4 Roosevelt (3-2) vs. No. 2 Pomona (4-1)
When/where: 7:30 p.m. Friday at NAAC Stadium
Last meeting: Pomona 42, at Roosevelt 13, Oct. 10, 2024
Streaming: NFHS Network
A pair of 3A state title contenders meet in Arvada for the start of 3A North 1 League play. Roosevelt got two weeks to prepare for this showdown after losing to top-ranked Windsor in the last weekend of September. The Rough Riders turned the ball over four times in that loss, which is something they cannot afford to do against a Pomona defense that is allowing just 5.0 points per game to teams not named Dakota Ridge.
Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.